Customer Reviews

Absolution (2 LP) [Vinyl]

5 star:		(321)
4 star:		(76)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Okay, my story of falling in love with Muse is rather odd. A LONG time ago, I was randomly looking and listening to songs remixed by SoulWax. That was a LONG time ago. So I'm listening to my music, and suddenly, "Muscle Museum" came on. The remixed version. I was simply like...wow...that is REALLY good! Who IS this? Of course, it was just SoulWax...so I went online and looked for a song called Muscle Museum, I found Muse. Listened to some other songs by them, and went out promptly bought the album.

Simply put, this album blew me away. Some may say it sounds like Radiohead, and yes, it does, but not a LOT like Radiohead. Muse is very unique unto themselves and the singer's voice is amazing.

The album starts off with a short intro which runs into "Apocalypse Please" Beautiful piano underlying the rest of the music, sends shivers through my body. The singer's voice flies and runs over the song, very emotional, and you can just FEEL the music running through you.

Then you come to the song which they released, "Time is Running Out" One word. Wow.

I do have to say that I can't continuously listen to the album though. As much as I love it, I just cannot take the sheer emotion that the singer voice portrays, sending him really high up in the octaves.

This album is amazing...and I can guarantee you, that if you listen to "Time is Running Out" You'll be like..."I WAS LOOKING FOR THAT SONG!!!!" Every one of my friends that I have shown this song to have had that reaction.....*grins*

So go out and buy it! Now!

My best friend has been raving about Muse for what must be a year now. He heard them while on a business trip in Amsterdam, and while I never doubted for a second that they were as good as he enthusiastically claimed them to be, not having any readily available proof in the U.S. somehow lessened the impact of his praises. MP3s he supplied to me whetted my appetite, but even those couldn't provide a satisfyingly complete exposure to the music of Muse. So finally after much hunting, I have acquired an import of this album. (I could have ordered it from Amazon, of course, but I enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the instant gratification that comes with finding an intensely-lusted after CD as a result of tireless store-combing.) And lemme tell ya, this album's introduction into my world has been so satisfying it borders on the bloody cathartic. This band, this CD, and--hell--this review are for all of the baffled and bereft, bag-holding Radiohead fans out there. This is for the conflicted, not the fanatical. This is for the enthusiasts who found the transition from OK Computer to Kid A an unexpected disappointment, like waking up one morning to discover that the adorable puppy you bought and bonded with has grown up to become a very tasty looking Belgian waffle or a state-of-the-art washing machine. You feel love for the puppy, and it's because of this now thoroughly confused but still-sincere devotion that you must acknowledge that the waffle smells delicious or that the washing machine is indeed quite remarkably sleek and efficient. Deep down, however, you can't lay to rest the confused thought, "But where is my dog? Wasn't this thing supposed to become a dog? Really, a dog was the next and most obvious step in the puppy-development process. I honestly thought I was going to get a canine companion out of this whole thing. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I kind of wanted, you know, a dog." Instead of a dog, you got a filling breakfast and something that washes your whites to blinding perfection; instead of the lush, dark, musically vital and rich follow-up to OK Computer, you got Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief. If this analogy actually makes sense to you, then you're one of my fellow dazed and confused compatriots. Musically this album has, to a significant extent, assuaged the sense of incompleteness that Radiohead left me feeling. Absolution has actually weighed down with goodies the empty bag Thom Yorke left me holding. I'm not saying that Muse is just an alternate dimension version of Radiohead, because they are quite clearly their own entity. Nor am I saying that their merit lies entirely in some similarity of sounds. Muse is Muse, and Muse is damn good. Radiohead still has its strengths, and Thom Yorke's excessive solemnity and need for profundity still earn a measure of my respect... but truly, on a basic and visceral level, Muse's music--and particularly this volume of it--give me a little, wild thrill of, "Yes! Yes! There you are! I knew you had to be somewhere, you rascally little puppy! I can't believe you were hiding behind that washing machine the entire time. Still, I'm so glad you're back--and, gosh, you must be hungry! Hey, do you want to split this waffle with me?"

I've recently discovered this little-known UK band, Muse, and I'm blown away by almost every aspect of this release. The music is heavy alternative, but with a production and songwriting expertise that takes it all to a new area of exploration. The band's driving force is classically oriented progressions played by guitars, pianos, drums, and more guitars. All the while, Matt Bellamy bellows his amazing melodic impressions over the whole thing.

Straight away, something needs to be addressed. This band and its singer, despite the nitpicking disclaimers other reviewers have tried to make, sounds remarkably similar to old Radiohead (The Bends, OK Computer in particular). Matt Bellamy, in fact, could be a stand-in on any Radiohead tour. I actually did research to see of Bellamy was really Thom Yorke masquerading in a front band. That's how much they sound alike, bottom line. You can try to compare and contrast abstract and subtle approaches to style that differ, but the reality is if someone would've told me this was an unreleased Radiohead record from 1997, I would've believed them, no questions asked.

However, this isn't an entirely fair comparison. I also would've said of this fictional 1997 Radiohead release, "Wow, Thom's singing range has really expanded...and the music's gotten far more complex...and the production is more intense and intelligent than other Radiohead records..."

That all means that Absolution actually blows by any early Radiohead comparisons that others would make. So what if Matt Bellamy sounds just like Thom Yorke? He sounds *better* than Tom Yorke. So what if the chord progressions are similar to OK Computer's monolithic vamp sections? Absolution's are far more accessible and integrated into the songs, rather than treated as special musical bridges (as in OK Computer). Bottom line there? They do Radiohead better than Radiohead, especially now, while Thom and the boys are off experimenting with German euro-trash techno, the stuff that Aphex Twin has been doing better than them for years.

This is also an unfair comparison because Muse incorporates a far greater span of influence into their music than Radiohead (or any modern band trying to do this). I hear tons of Queen in their music, as well as hints of ELO, especially in the vocal arrangements. It's also evident that Bellamy has spent some time with the classical composers - Rachmaninoff, Puccini, Chopin for example. Their melodies permeate his writing - and I love every minute of it.

The songs are all astounding. The melodies are haunting, the production fresh and very unique. My only complaint is that the sonics aren't particularly good. There are times where the mix is so huge and distorted that it's hard to even pick out what they are trying to do. At the same time, music like this sort of needs that to sound "right." These same songs recorded in pristine settings would probably sound far more stale than the raw genius portrayed on Absolution.

Also recommended if you like this: Jump Little Children "Vertigo" and Sigur Ros "()"

Having read countless comparisons to Radiohead, and being an avid listener of both, I feel its time we got the facts right.

The truth is Muse and Radiohead share similar, vocals, pessimism, and seriousness, oh.. and they are both rock bands. That means, they share the same fan base. Unfortunately, some of those very people with an eye for detail and appreciation for genuine music, who fell in love with Radiohead have now become blinded by their fixation. They are defensive, and feel some what threatened by Muse.
And then, there is the other category of people, who just want to make a statement, "I was listening to music before you were born". These people feel that listening to music for many years makes them bigger than the music itself.
In the end, when you compare apples with oranges, you end up insulting both. Muse is everything Radiohead isn't and vice versa. Radiohead thrives to be subtle, layered music, matured and experienced whilst Muse is `in your face', grandiose, eager and energetic. Radiohead is poetry, Muse is a show.
It is more appropriate to compare Muse with Queen.

I have always been a big fan of Radiohead but If I was forced to compare apples with oranges, I would have to admit, Muse have better vocals, guitar and piano. Anyone who rates this album below 3 stars is kidding themselves. I never thought I had to say this to a bunch of Radiohead fans but you need to listen to this album more than once to appreciate it.

Whilst rock bands continue to reminisce over the century that was, with bands like The shins (60's spin off), the strokes, darkness, white stripes (70's spin off) and Dandy Warhols (80's), Muse tries hard to push music into the 21st century. So I'd like to see what Matthew Cooke (Editorial reviewer on Amazon) has to say about these bands when apparently Muse is unoriginal.

With tracks, like Butterflies and Hurricances, Apocalypse please, Stockholme Syndrome, Hysteria, Thoughts of a Dying Atheist there is no denying the brilliance and originality of Muse.

So, lets get it right, Absolution is an album worthy of being purchased and enjoyed.

What an album. This is Muse at their nihilistic best. Writing this shortly before the July 3rd release of their new album "Black Holes and Revelations", I can't help feeling a sense of slight trepidation: will the new, apparently more "poppy" Muse stay true to their roots? That's what inspired me to set down my thoughts on Absolution.

1. Intro
This 22 second instrumental sets the theme perfectly. The pounding, seemingly "approaching" the listener, recalls something primal, something monolithic. We are prepared for darkness- and darkness we will get.

2. Apocalypse Please
A beautiful piece of operatic rock. Droning vocals mix with a classical driving piano line to create a gloriously significant song. Once again, Bellamy prepares us for "something biblical", an event of such profound importance that we can't help being afraid.

3. Time Is Running Out
A seminal work and a fan favourite. An intensely catchy bass-and-click line is followed by an increasingly urgent Muse classic. In keeping with the theme of apocalypse, "time is running out" is powerful and menacing. The song peaks several times, not least with the harrowing line "how did it come this?"

4. Sing for Absolution
This initially subdued song turns into a frenzied masterpiece. This is the most apocalyptic song on the album. One reviewer (who will always remain immortal in my mind) described it as "the sound of church bells crying and a thousand ambulances falling from the sky". Exactly. This song is about praying before the imminent end. It's not urgent, it's beatifully mournful and each note is laced with regret.

5. Stockholm Syndrome
Frenzied, brilliant. This is Muse at their most operatic. The chorus reaches new heights and the harmonisation is magnificent. The oddly dreamy keyboard effect really captures the idea of falling in love with someone who does you harm (as we see in the US video, in which a cheesy whiter-than-white TV show audience is corrupted by the powerful but evil sounds of the song). This song is at once depressing and immensely uplifting. Top notch.

6. Falling Away
It's back to the end of the world for this initially quiet song that grinds its way to a beatiful, emotional climax. Lovely. The video-gameesque themes add lots to the song, the intensity of which, as the title suggests, falls away. This song captures the sadness of destruction and disorder.

7. Interlude
Just that, really. A well-worked, tuneful, 37 piece. Nicely distorted guitar work and harmonisation to boot.

8. Hysteria
A crunching, brilliant, monster of a song. Menacing guitar lines precede more falsetto followed by some of Bellamy's strongest vocals on the album. A change of pace and the song is back on track. Lovely. Understandably, another fan favourite. This was received with rapturous applause when they used it to open at Glastonbury in '04.

9. Blackout
A genuinely quiet song for once! Maybe a good idea after the deafening brilliance of Hysteria. Meaningful and morose, with great harmonies kicking in after about 1:24. The violins rise and fall with Bellamy's voice. A great interval of a track, and one that suggests that (unlike most metal bands), Muse don't mind showing a sensitive side.

10. Butterflies & Hurricanes
More Operock! Heavy on the harmonies from the start, this song is immensely uplifting with an invigorating driving piano line and an urgent message ("you've got to change the world"). This song is intense and, save the minute or so that serves as the "calm before the storm" nearish the end, scarsely relents. Finished off by a wonderful rachmaninoffesque/wagnerian piano solo building into a final cathartic climax. My favourite song on the album. The frenetic and urgent final minute is supreme.

11. The Small Print
This song is about Faust (an early Christian German legend about a man who sells his soul to the Devil, adapted and immortalised by Goethe into a troubled man who sells all for success). Hence "I'm the priest God never paid" and more lines about possession, loss etc. The song is devilishly clever, and the guitar lines are suitably menacing. More classic metal than many of the others in this album, but it's a refreshing and unique song. Very nice. Just remember: always read The Small Print- Muse exhort the listener to take the advantage of one poor Teuton who didn't.

12.Endlessly
Beatiful, warm, synth lines curve over this song with a strongly artificial operatic falsetto creeping in at opportune moments. A profound, lonely song. More perfectly crafted angst from a band that obviously have a lot on their collective minds. Relatively short compared to a lot of the songs on the album. It's deceptively simple, intense stuff.

13.Thoughts of a Dying Atheist.
Ay, there's the rub. What happens when we shuffle off this mortal coil? Hamlet's dilemma. To sleep, perchance to dream. "Thoughts" expresses the same fear of venturing into the unknown. The line "It scares the Hell out of me" captures perfectly this fear. If you renounce God all his life, what happens if you come face to face with him? Do you "look through a faithless eye"? (great line...)

14.Ruled By Secrecy
Once again, Muse prove that they make rock for clever people. The title of the song is adapted from that of Jim Marrs' "Rule By Secrecy"- the mother of all conspiracy theories, a book that contains ideas ranging from the Freemasons to psycho-electric mind control. Thus the enigmatic, complex beginning. The song rises to a beautiful classical piano solo by the ever-impressive and multi-talented Bellamy. The album ends with a suitably obscure but awesomely emotional piece.

Let me get this started by saying that at first I was NOT a fan of Muse and didn't want anything to do with them. One day I was watching TV and a video came on, and I listened to the music and loved it, and it was a cool video. I saw that it was "Stockholm Syndrome" by Muse, and I realized I had been a tool for not giving them a chance. The next chance I got, I went and bought Absolution and here's my song by song review-

1) Intro- Basically just footsteps and some guy yelling, only meant to lead well into the first actual song.

2) Apocalypse Please- Awesome song, starts off with Matt banging the hell out of a piano, playing a very eerie but cool piano part. Cool lyrics, cool song and I love the "End of the World" theme. 7.5/10

3) Time Is Running Out- The closest thing to a pop song on the album, but still an awesome song. Some fairly cheesy lyrics early on, but a great, catchy song. 8.5/10

4) Sing For Absolution- Absolutely bone-chilling, but also amazingly beautiful. I love this song. Great lyrics, beautiful piano playing and Matt really shows off his voice well in this song. 8/10

5) Stockholm Syndrome- This is the song that turned me on to Muse. Fast paced, pretty heavy rocker. I love the lyrics, the guitar part, and the bassline. This song really blows my mind. 9.5/10

6) Falling Away With You- Possibly the most beautiful and tender song on the album. The intro sounds almost like a lullaby, very nice lyrics though. Once the chorus comes around, everything explodes into an amazing earthquake of sound. Great song. 9/10

7) Interlude- Ummm... kinda cool sounding, but not really a song... leads well into my personal favorite track on the album.

8) Hysteria- This song kicks off with a positively kick-ass, heavily distorted bassline. Great song, definately the best song on the album, this is the song that made Muse big in America, and this is as good as it gets. 10/10

9) Blackout- Gorgeous, classically inspired, slow, but powerful song. Very nice song, though it's extremely slow paced feels a bit odd after the psychadelia of Hysteria, but nevertheless, a nice addition. 7/10

10) Butterflies and Hurricanes- Starts off slow, but really explodes later on, another stand out track, though for some reason it took a while to grow on me. Wonderful piano interlude right before the last chorus. 8/10

11) The Small Print- Interesting lyrics, very cool guitar part. Good, solid, fast paced rock song. 8.5/10

12) Endlessly- Entrancing, gorgeous ballad. Very powerful. 8.5/10

13) Thoughts of a Dying Athiest- Cool subject for a song. I love it, another rocker along the lines of The Small Print. 7.5/10

14- Ruled By Secrecy- My least favorite track on the album. It's pretty, but doesn't leave much of an impression. 6/10

Overall, this is an amazing album. I never thought I would like Muse, but once I got this album, I HAD to buy the rest of their CDs. (I reccomend all of them) Matt has the most incredible voice of any guy in rock and roll today. He is also a brilliant pianist, and very talented guitarist. Chris Wolstenholme is one of my favorite bassists, he always plays exactly what the song calls for and Dom's drumming is always solid. This album is a must have.

I first discovered Muse while browsing my local record shop where they have "Listening Stations" set up throughout the store featuring unknown bands. I came into the store set on bringing Keane's album home with me. But the Muse CD caught my eye at the listening station, and when #1 Intro and #2 Apocalypse Please (which I thought were 1 song) came marching and dancing into my ears, I fell in love. It just took that one (or rather 2) song(s) to catch my attention and my heart. I knew I had to take this album home just based on that first song. Apocalypse Please is a rare gem of a piece that captures your heart and parades you through an ocean's deep of emotions and music. There were so many layers of waves washing over me I could only stand still with my eyes closed and let myself be taken out to this writhing sea called Muse. Apocalypse Please truly is a masterpiece.

The rest of the album proved just as monumental. It immediately captured me. I promptly purchased it and took it home to listen to loudly in the safety of my own room. I simply had to play the CD on repeat over and over again, lying still on my bed and allowing myself to be marched on this musical journey. I personally do not notice much similarity between Muse and Radiohead. My friends have even mentioned how they sound alike, but I never heard it. I used to be a Radiohead fan, but I still do not notice it.

With pieces such as Time Is Running Out sinking into your mind with a constantly changing sound, Sing for Absolution begging you to sing along with all your soul, and Ruled By Secrecy drifting you along through the clouds, you are in for one amazing ride as you listen to Muse's "Absolution."

Stockholm Syndrome has a heavier, more rock vibe. But it's just as addictive. Matt's voice sings beautifully over the full and complex music composed of heavy guitar, drums, and even piano.

I find my whole body responding to this music. It seems impossible to simply listen to Muse. Your body responds with movement and you truly feel as if you are moving on a journey with the music as it serenades you into a land that I never want to leave when I'm there. Matt's range is incredible and he exercises it on almost every song.

Falling Away With You lets you catch your breath as you relax into a sweet serenade at the beginning of the song. Don't let the music fool you--the lyrics still reach the depth that the rest of "Absolution" plummets to. As the song picks up, you move along to Matt's emotion-filled voice and "bitter love story" lyrics. It ends with a quiet and moving goodbye, which leaks into #7 Interlude. Then you enter immediately into #8, Hysteria. Immediately you brace yourself for a real rock anthem. The beginning drum beats remind me of Silverchair's "Anthem for the Year 2000." But you quickly realize Muse has carved out a sound all their own. This is their current reigning single, which is climbing the charts both on radio and MTV here in the States. This up-beat tempo gives you inspiration to dance, or even mosh if one so desires.

After the rush is over, #9, Blackout, is there to lift you up on a magic-carpet ride over the clouds. This is one of my favorites on the album.

#10, Butterflies and Hurricanes picks up the speed slowly, allowing you to enter back into the rush after the sweet, slow ride of Blackout. The message of the chorus is both encouraging and overwhelming:

"Best, you've got to be the best

You've got to change the world

and use this chance to be heard.

Your time is now.

Don't let yourself down.

...your last chance has arrived."

#11 Small Print reminds me of a charged punk rock ballad. The lyrics are dark and brooding and thought-provoking.

#12 Endlessly is the only song that begins like it may not belong on the Muse album. But that thought is quickly brushed away as Matt sings of an endless love. This song is the only one where I can imagine a similarity between Muse and Radiohead.

#13 Thoughts of a Dying Atheist carries a theme that is drifting throughout this album. It seems to me that the lyrics and song titles leak out little hints that perhaps the song writer is searching for a religious truth that they're on the brink of discovering. That perhaps they are actually exploring the possibilities of God and death and Hell, etc. and may not be entirely secure in their beliefs at this point, but have a curiosity and a question in their minds. (Matthew Bellamy penned all the song lyrics.)

Ruled by Secrecy brings this ride to a close as you gently float on still waters, drifting further and further out to a dark, deep sea.

Muse has burst upon us in America with a unique and mind-blowing album that simply cannot be left untouched. It must be played. It demands to be listened to and experienced. I feel I can only oblige.

If I have one thing to say

Those who think Matthew Cook, the apparent person worthy of reviewing Muse - Absolution on Amazon, wrote an absolutely disgraceful review.... vote YES

What in the world is this man talking about. "this album is unoriginal". He has not listened to it and it shows. "muse carries the torch ... unaware its running in circles". PLease, that is the laziest, and most ignorant piece of reviewing ive heard.

Aweful! It is a poor reflection on what Absolution has done and it should be removed!

Not to many artists or groups can come out with an album of substance that can attract and draw me in with first listen. Music with substance is something more, it's not that it isn't catchy, it's the fact that your brain needs that second listen to grasp on to the notes. You need to sit down, listen to - seriously listen to, analyze and figure why it is what it is. Muse on the other was different, it has a vibe, an aura around it that grabs you from inside and feeds your ears as well as your brain.

From the pounding piano on "Apocalypse Please" to the off time/on time vocals that follow, words can't describe what you're in for. The vocal technique is another one of the unique features of the album. The lead singer, Mathew Bellamy has a signature sound of a slight off tempo release with almost a croon/swoop stlye, and vibrato on most of his long tone releases. Other than the pounding of the first song, the lyrics fit perfectly with the mood of the song. It feels as if THE volcano is erupting, the sun is never coming back, and Satan has finally launched his war upon heaven and earth. If you closed your eyes and turn it up loud enough, the lyrics seem to come through as a prayer "It's time we saw a miracle, come on it's time for something biblical". The whole of the song haunts me from beginning to end, and almost puts me in fear and the hope that God will be rescuing us all. And now we're only through the first song.

Skip through the lead single from the album and we find ourselves in "Sing for Absolution". Another song that haunts me through every lyric, a different sort of haunting, a different feeling, because I feel as if this is the poem my mind played over and over again with one of my former loves, a former love who didn't know where I stood. I could go through every song on this album and tell what each line of every song means to me and why this album has the haunting ability to speak my thoughts. Nay a word in the English language or a genre in music that can put the right classification on Muse.

Any music fan of any type can find some nook or cranny they will fall in love with. From the hard hitting, yet beautiful "Stolckholm Syndrom" to the classical piano breakdown in "Butterflies and Hurricanes" that has the reminiscence of the romantic era superstar "Liszt". Finally tailing off with a similar Sigur Ros/Radiohead sound, the album has gone from the first song that has a sign of life to last, death. It puts the perfect album in perspective, battle of life to death.

The highlight of the album is by far the musicianship and songwriting ability of portent lead singer/guitarist/pianist Mathew Bellamy. Hopefully my review has placed some sort of curiosity in your mind about wanting to at least check out a song, I highlighted a few songs in the review on purpose. This album may be put out on Warner Bros. Records but do not let the major label scare you away, this is the label that put out Less Than Jake's Anthem album, both of The Used's full lengths, Glassjaw's Worship and Tribute full length and the hair metal superstars The Darkness. While none of these bands come close to what Muse has accomplished, it will hopefully shed some light that Warner Bros may still care about music.

-Nate Matzelle

It isn't surprising that almost every review for this album makes reference to Radiohead. Muse is obviously very influenced by that OTHER brilliant British neo-prog band, and Thom Yorke comparisons for the vocals are almost inevitable. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. If one is looking for great modern influences, there is really no better band to look to than Radiohead. And, despite several similarities, Muse actually has a unique sound and "Absolution" is an absolutely astounding album on its own terms. I have been listening to this album steadily since its release and it remains one of my very favorite albums- sitting alongside the Beatles, the Clash, the Strokes and, of course, Radiohead.

With "Absolution," Muse has created an emotionally devastating masterpiece. The combination of vocals, lyrics, guitar tone and pure energy is heavenly and the result is a collection of some of the most interesting and powerful songs written in recent years. The songs can rock convincingly, as seen in songs like "Time is Running Out," and "Butterflies and Hurricanes" but I am equally interested in the quieter and more introspective pieces. My personal pick for the best song on the album is the closer, "Ruled By Secrecy" which has one of the most beautiful sonic build ups I have ever heard. The moment those piano chords come crashing in...well, if the hair on the back of your neck doesn't stand up then you aren't listening close enough.

This is a truly amazing album that should really belong in the collection of any fan of modern rock music. It is one of the pinnacles of modern music and Muse has continued their creativity and innovation with last year's "Black Holes and Revelations" (isn't "Knights of Cydonia" one of the greatest things you've ever heard?) Trust me on this one. Get over your Radiohead comparisons and enjoy this absolutely astonishing album.